As part of spirit week we are going over the key components of your theme verse for this year found in Mark 12:29-31. 29  Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  30  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ [g]   31  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [h]  No other commandment is greater than these.” This morning we are going to look at loving the Lord with all your mind. God wants you to love and trust him with your mind even when things don’t make sense to you. When you really trust somebody, you are willing to do things and believe things that you wouldn’t otherwise. We see this throughout the Scripture like Peter walking on water. He would have never even have thought that possible until he saw Jesus do it. And knowing who Jesus was and seeing the amazing miracles that Jesus has already performed, led Peter to defying everything his mind said couldn’t happen as he walked on the water toward Jesus. And if you know that Biblical account, you know that Peter didn’t keep walking on the water. As he looked around at the wind and the waves, his old way of thinking came crashing back in and he began to sink in the water. But Peter shows us how loving the Lord with all of our mind will enable us to do the things we never would have believed possible. But loving God with all of our mind means that we keep our thoughts in line with what will honor God. Without God in our life our mind is a dangerous minefield. We can believe things about ourselves that aren’t true and change the way we live and act. Let’s say you believe in your mind that everyone hates you (which is never the case). What do you do? You shy away from other people. You don’t trust anyone anymore. You don’t build any relationships and you become more isolated weird and guarded. Because you believed something false, you have created an environment that traps you and causes you a painful life. Let’s look at the first patriarch this morning a guy named Abram. God chooses Abram to become the father of many nations. He is going to make his name great. Whoever Abram blesses God will bless and whoever Abram curses, God will curse. God will give him a land that will be his descendents’ inheritance and those descendents will be as numerous as the stars. Why did God choose Abram? Because he was a nobody and a nothing. No home, no kids, an old man with an old wife and no kids. But as God kept these promises to Abram, he was going to cause Abram to love him with his mind and so transform the way this old man thought and believed about himself. Early on after God gave this promise, there was a famine and so Abram went to Egypt for a time. But Abram was afraid that they would kill him to get to his wife Sarai because she was so beautiful (even at the age of 65). He lost the battle of the mind leaving God out of the equation. As a result, great sickness affected the Egyptians who had taken Abram’s wife because of God’s promise “whoever you curse I will curse.” Later on, when Abram and Sarai thought it was taking too long for God to fulfill the promise that they were going to have a son, they decided to do it their own way. Sarai gave her servant to Abram as a 2 nd wife so that when she got pregnant and had a child, Sarai could adopt him as her own. This was not unheard of in their culture. And since his wife suggested it, how could Abram refuse? The problem is that their thought process didn’t involve God. And so they made these choices without consulting God, whose plan was that Sarai get pregnant miraculously in her old age and have a son. What resulted was more conflict in their marriage that involved a third party now that was eventually abused by Sarai. Finally, when God told them that they were going to have a son 25 years after the initial promise, Abram, now Abraham, makes the same mistake when being forced to live in a local town and tells everyone his 90 year old wife is actually his sister. And the same thing occurs again. Finally, God gives them their son named Isaac. But not long after, God does the strangest thing: Genesis 22:1-18 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2  “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” 3  The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.  4  On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.  5  “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” 6  So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together,  7  Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8  “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. 9  When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.  10  And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.  11  At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” 12  “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” 13  Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.  14  Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” 15  Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven.  16  “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that  17  I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants [ a ]  beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.  18  And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” Why would God take Abraham and Sarah through a several decade journey of faith and then ask them to sacrifice their son? Why would he give them this precious life and hope for the future to simply have them kill him? It didn’t make sense. Why? Because God wanted to see if Abraham had grown to a place where he loved God with all of his mind. (You may have noticed that several of these images I am using in this presentation are paintings that we have around the building. We have these images around the church intentionally. Because they are key moments to our faith where God showed us that perfect love and people of great faith responded in kind.) In the past, Abraham loved himself in his mind more than God and more than even his wife. At other times, God was not even a part of his thought process. But now, God was asking Abraham to trust him with what he valued the most. It didn’t make sense to Abraham at the time and it doesn’t make sense to us now. But in the passage we see something beautiful. Isaac, who is to be the unknowing sacrifice, asks his dad, “Why do we have everything for the sacrifice but no sacrifice?” Even though Abraham’s answer is cryptic “God will provide,” Isaac loves and trusts his father in his mind, and so is willing to still follow. Hebrews 11:17-19 give us some insight into how Abraham was able to love God with all of his mind in spite of what God was asking him to do: 17  It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18  even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” [c]   19  Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. Abraham had never seen anyone brought back to life before. But he had seen someone who was brought to life from a barren womb. His faith had grown to a love and devotion that he was going to trust God even when it doesn’t make sense. That is why you need to fill up your mind with the promises of God so you will know what to do no matter the situation. I have read a Proverb a day for a good portion of my life and so I don’t struggle through a lot of decisions because I have placed that godly wisdom of Word in my heart and mind and I can always pull from it. I know who God is. I know what his promises are. I know that he is faithful and true. I can look through all of human history and see. I knew at your age that he had a wife for me. That is why I didn’t spend a lot of time looking or trying to experience whatever I could with any girl that was interested in me because in my head and heart I knew I was already hers. We don’t live to get rich, be famous, have power or position because God’s Word shows us none of those things satisfy. Even if God blesses you with those things, it is not the point. He is the point. And the more we pursue him and love him the more nothing we face will break us because we know that we know that we know. Love God with all your mind. Trust his Word. Believe his promises. And you will live an amazing adventure designed by God.

Today is our last message of spirit week and I really have enjoyed having the chance to share with you every day. We have been breaking down what it means to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Today though we are going to look at what it looks like loving our neighbor as ourselves. One misconception about this statement is that we are to love our neighbors and not love ourselves. That isn’t what Jesus is saying. In fact, it is the very opposite. We are to love our neighbors the same way as we love ourselves. Jesus makes sure we get this clearly in Matthew 7:12, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” Just think about what you want every day and how you want people to treat you. You want people to value what you say and think. You want others to be willing to put you first, to share and be kind. So we can totally understand what Jesus is saying. The problem is that Jesus doesn’t say, “love your neighbors like they are loving you.” It is sometimes hard to love people that are mean, unkind, or even indifferent to you. It is hard to love people that will take from you or will cost you time, money or attention. And that is why this is the second greatest commandment and not the first. The only way we have the power and ability to love people like we want ourselves to be loved is through the love of Jesus first. It is his love that fills us up and completes us. It is his love that enables us to love the unloveable. The easy passage to look at here is the Good Samaritan parable in Luke 10. It is only right that we look at it because it was part of the same discussion that Jesus was having with an expert of the law as to what the greatest commandment is. The question posed to Jesus is: who is my neighbor? Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31  “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by.  32  A Temple assistant [ d ]  walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33  “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.  34  Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.  35  The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, [ e ]  telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36  “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37  The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10:30-37) So the road between Jerusalem and Jericho is a desert road with some pretty steep cliffs on a narrow path. There are lots of places where a person could be isolated and robbed: a position none of us would want to be in. This guy is robbed, stripped naked and beaten almost to death in the middle of nowhere. And the first two people that come by don’t help them. It is a priest and a temple assistant. The priest could give his excuses. He was too busy. Touching someone injured like that could make him ‘unclean’ according to the religious law and it could hinder his other ministry. Whatever reasons he could tell himself. But he really isn’t even interested at all because he does not even pause to check on the condition of the man. The Temple assistant looks him over out of curiosity, but doesn’t help him either. Why don’t they help him? They don’t know him. They don’t want to know him. It would take time, effort and probably money to help him. It is easier to just keep on moving than to get involved in someone else’s mess. It’s better to assume that he is dead or deserved what he got. They never once considered, if that was me, would I want someone to help me? That simple question is a guide to life. And having a deep love of Jesus brings that question to your heart. For you know that God loves each of us the same with all that He is. He opens our heart to not simply love ourselves but to love others. You would think given these men’s positions that they would have a deep relationship and a love for God that would flow out to others but they don’t. Growing up in church doesn’t make you a Christian. Having attended a Christian school your entire life doesn’t mean that you truly love Jesus. You can fool other people all you want and raise your hands in church and say nice things here, but the proof of your love for Jesus is often seen in how you love people: especially those who are difficult to love. The one guy that helps the poor and dying Jewish man is a Samaritan. Samaritans are looked down on because they weren’t considered purebred Jews. They were ones that had been left in Israel during the exile and so they had intermarried with other cultures. Their worship wasn’t considered as pure, and a good Jew wouldn’t even share a meal at a table with them. But it WAS this Samaritan that stopped to check on this man’s well being. He did what he could to heal him, transported him to an inn, and then paid for his stay and hospital bill promising to pay more when he returned to check on the man if the bill was higher than what he had given. The money he gave initially was equally to the pay of working two full days so it was quite a sacrifice. What stands out about the Samaritan is his love for this stranger didn’t make sense. This Jewish man who was dying by the side of the road would most likely have not done the same for the Samaritan if their situations were reversed. But love is not dependent on what someone else does. Real love is given freely expecting nothing in return. The Samaritan expects nothing back. He simply loves this man as he would want to be loved. And in so doing, proved that his religion was true as his love relationship with God overflowed into his love for people. One more example I want to share this morning that reveals the power of loving our neighbor like ourselves. In Acts 9, a Pharisee named Saul was on a mission to destroy the followers of Jesus and kill the early church in its infancy. He approved of the killing of Christians and was willing to throw whole families in prison that claimed to follow Jesus. He is on the road to the city of Damascus because he has heard there is a group of Jesus followers there. But as he is traveling on the road, the resurrected Jesus appears to him. Jesus’ glory is so bright that it knocks Saul off his horse and Jesus says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!  6  Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5) Saul is blind and must be led into Damascus where he sits in darkness for three days and refuses to eat and drink. In this situation, Saul is the Jewish man on the way to Jericho (Damascus). And God sends him the most unlikely of persons to love him: Acts 9:10-19 0  Now there was a believer [ b ]  in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. 11  The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.  12  I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.” 13  “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers [ c ]  in Jerusalem!  14  And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.” 15  But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.  16  And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” 17  So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  18  Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.  19  Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Why was Ananias an unlikely messenger to Saul? Because he was one of the people that Saul was going to Damascus to throw into prison or kill! And yet, the love of God was changing Saul from the inside out, and he was sending Ananias to love Saul like Jesus. Ananias was reluctant. It was dangerous. He questioned well Saul deserved it. But Ananias went to Saul because it was what the love of God compelled him to do. He calls Saul brother in spite of Saul’s sins. And brings him healing through the power of the Holy Spirit so he can see. Saul gets saved and becomes Paul who becomes the greatest missionary of the early church and the author of most of the New Testament. But it all began with Ananias being willing to love his neighbor as himself. We cannot measure or put a limit on the power of love. Is it hard and difficult? Will it sometimes be painful and cost us something? Yes. But when we love our neighbor as we want to be loved and as God loves us, we look like Jesus and can be a catalyst to their salvation or God’s amazing call on their lives.

If you remember, our theme verse for this year is Mark 12:29-31, “ 29  Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  30  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ [g]   31  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [h]  No other commandment is greater than these.” Today I want to talk about loving the Lord with all your heart and soul. When we talk about the heart we are talking about the core of your belief system: what you believe to be truly true. It is those core beliefs that shape your actions and your thoughts. When we talk about your soul, we talk about your hope for eternity. What you are “all in” on. Our activity this morning was to see how far someone would go for 5 bucks. At what cost would you be willing to sacrifice how people perceive you for something that can be spent in an instant on something that won’t satisfy. What can you buy with $5? A couple packs of gum? A Wendy’s biggee bag? Not much. If you know the story of Joseph, his brothers sold him for the price of a slave (20 pieces of silver). They hated him so much that they were considering killing him, but realized that they could profit off of getting rid of him, and so, they changed their mind. How could anyone do this to their own brother (their flesh and blood)? They wanted what Joseph had, their father’s love and attention. Unfortunately, their dad did play favorites. And they thought if Joseph was out of the way, they would gain their father’s love. It didn’t work that way. The reward of 20 pieces of silver was not worth the price they paid to get rid of their brother. Long after that money was spent, they still had the guilt of their actions and instead of gaining their father’s love, they broke his heart. But I don’t want to talk about Joseph’s brothers today, but Joseph himself. When Joseph was sold into slavery, he was just a teenager. Can you imagine with all your hopes and dreams for the future right now, having all that stolen from you as you are being forced to be a slave maybe for the rest of your life? You lose your family, your future, your stuff and are left with nothing. Most of us would be angry and upset. We would try to escape and get back home. We would dig in our heels and fight against the slavers and the one that now owns us. That isn’t at all what Joseph did. Read Genesis 39:1-6 When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. 2  The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.  3  Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.  4  This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.  5  From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.  6  So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! What is wrong with Joseph! He doesn’t deserve to be a slave. He was wrongly treated and the victim of injustice. Why would he work so hard for Potiphar? Because Potiphar may own Joseph’s body, but his heart and soul belong to God. Joseph knows that no one can separate him from God. Even Potiphar realized that God was with Joseph and that is why he trusts him so much. What we didn’t talk about was the dreams God gave Joseph that were promises that his brothers would one day bow down to him. That hasn’t happened yet, not at all! But God made those promises in those dreams and Joseph is holding on to God’s promises. Listen, life will be difficult. It isn’t always fair or just. It rarely will go the way you planned. People will hurt you and take advantage of you. But you can thrive instead of just surviving if your heart and soul belongs to God. Romans 8:9 says, “ 39  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Joseph trusted God and loved God with all his heart. He still believed that God was in control and had a best plan for his life in spite of his circumstances and situations. And because of that, he became the best servant he could be. Because Joseph loved God with all his soul, he could see past his current circumstances and situation and know that God had promised better days ahead. So Joseph never lost hope because he loved God with all his soul. Yeah, there were opportunities where Joseph could have traded in his love for God for something lesser. Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. He could have convinced himself that it was okay. I mean, he was a young man in the prime of his life with a very low chance of freedom from the world’s perspective. Many times if a slave were to marry it would not be his choice, but his masters. Here he is offered momentary pleasure that he could convince himself he deserved. But how did Joseph say no? Especially when it says Potiphar’s wife pursued him daily? Genesis 39:8-9, “ 8  But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household.  9  No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” There are two reasons why Joseph is able to resist. He looks at the trust he has with his master and realizes she isn’t worth the sacrifice (love neighbor). Like the garden of eden he says, “I can eat from any tree but one. Why would I trade the fruit from all of these trees for your fruit?” But the second reason is greater. He says it would be a great sin against God. His relationship with God is the true prize. He loves God more than anything and to commit adultery is to greatly harm his relationship with God (love God). No way. And the result of his resistance? Defamation and prison. He is a righteous guy that keeps ending further away from what any of us would think he deserves. He is thrown in the worst prison possible: the king’s prison. This is the perfect time to feel sorry for himself and break his relationship with God. I mean, when this is our reality we can turn on those we love the most. Joseph still refuses. He does the same thing as a prisoner that he did as a slave, he becomes the best prisoner he can to the point that the warden entrusts this young man/teenager with the care of all the other prisoners (can you imagine how awful some of these guys must be to be in the maximum security prison?). How did Joseph do it? He loved God with all his heart and soul because he knew God loved him even more so in spite of his circumstances. God had a plan and Joseph was sent. Genesis 39:21, “ 21  But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.” Well you know the story by now, Joseph does get out of that prison at God’s perfect timing and becomes second in command in all of Egypt. God gives him the plan on how to survive the incoming famine which sets up a scenario where his brothers come to him for help without realizing it is Joseph. They do bow down to him. And Joseph sets up a scenario to ensure that his father and brother are okay and see if the character of his brothers have changed. When he finally reveals himself to his brothers. He has a chance to make them pay for all the years of pain and suffering he endured. While they were free and living at home he was a slave and prisoner. How unfair! But that isn’t how Joseph sees it at all. Because his heart and soul belongs to God, he sees the situation far differently. Genesis 50:19-21, 19  But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?  20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.  21  No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. Because Joseph loved God with all of his heart and soul there was nothing this world could give him or take away from him that could sour his perspective on his life and God’s plan for him. He pitied his brothers that they traded him for silver. But in return, Joseph refused to trade in their relationships for revenge. Loving the Lord with all our heart and soul is the greatest reward in itself. It is eternally lasting and forever fulfilling. It enables us to have joy and peace no matter our circumstances and situations. And enables us to become world changers like Joseph because the love of God is all we need and we fully trust him. Do you want to be like Joseph? Then you need to stop trading in that relationship for lesser things. You need to believe and trust his love. You need to know in the core of your being that no matter what you go through it is worth it because God has a plan for all of it. Joseph made that decision as a teenager and it carried him through the rest of your life. You are not too young to make that choice. What will you choose today.

So I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s and the big movies of the time had muscle bound heroes like Arnold Schwartzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris… you get the point. And most action movies were the same. Somebody killed their family, their girlfriend, blew up their house, kidnapped their daughter or insulted them and so they had to make them pay. No forgiveness just payback. And usually there were these tough guy taglines as they are blowing stuff up. “I’ll be back. I’m your worst nightmare. Etc.” So I grew up thinking that real strength was these muscle bound guys saying “Don’t do drugs” who were in all reality taking steroids. But the Bible and my Christian education conflicted with this viewpoint. I remember having a friend in school who really struggled with Jesus because he seemed so weak to him. How could Jesus be so tough when he let people mock him, spit on him, beat him and then allow them to kill him on the cross? Rambo would never let that happen! We are studying Mark 12:29-31. 29  Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  30  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ [g]   31  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [h]  No other commandment is greater than these.” And today we are studying loving the Lord your God with all your strength. But what does that strength look like? Does it look like Rambo blowing up a Vietnamese concentration camp as he is rescuing POWs or does it look more like Jesus laying down his life for all of humanity? Well, sometimes loving the Lord your God with all your strength is to stand up for him when no one else will. Sometimes God calls us to take political action like being a voice for the unborn, oppressed, addicted or marginalized. We are going to look at David this morning. One of his best known moments is when he had an action hero moment. He faced the nine-foot tall warrior goliath in battle and defeated him, cutting off his head. It was his love for the Lord that compelled him to be the one to silence the pagan invader who was standing defiant against God and his people. But I don’t believe that is the greatest example in David’s life of loving the Lord with all of his strength. It is much easier to fight sometimes than it is not to fight. Let me give you an example. After David had defeated Goliath, life was good. He became a prince after marrying the princess. He lived in the palace with Saul and his family. He became a great warrior for Israel and the people really liked him. But King Saul got jealous and in his jealousy, he tried to kill David more than once. So David had to flee for his life. David never spoke bad about Saul or tried to rebel against him. David simply loved the Lord and gave his all to what God called him to and that made Saul jealous and afraid of him (he thought the people would choose David king over him). And so David had leave his wife, his home and the palace. He had to live in the desert and hide out in caves. His family had to flee for their lives too as Saul was coming after them to get to David so they joined him in the caves. Anyone who helped David was in danger of being killed (Saul even killed priests that had helped David). On top of that, every person who was in trouble with the law or rejected by society found a friend in David and so joined him. So not only is David living a rough life constantly on the run and living in discomfort because of his love for God, but he also still had the pressure of providing for and protecting other people. Meanwhile Saul spends all of his time trying to find David and kill him. This took months. Which leads us to this moment in 1 Samuel 24. Saul is chasing David with 3,000 men and while he is in the wilderness trying to find him, Saul’s tummy starts to rumble and so he has to find a place to relieve himself. So he decides to do his business in a cave. Unbeknownst to him, David and his men are in the back of the cave. And that is where we pick up 1 Samuel 24:4-22 4  “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe. 5  But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6  He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.”  7  So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way,  8  David came out and shouted after him, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him. 9  Then he shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you?  10  This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord’s anointed one.’ 11  Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.12  “May the Lord judge between us. Perhaps the Lord will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you.  13  As that old proverb says, ‘From evil people come evil deeds.’ So you can be sure I will never harm you.  14  Who is the king of Israel trying to catch anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a dead dog or a single flea?  15  May the Lord therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!” 16  When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, “Is that really you, my son David?” Then he began to cry.  17  And he said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil.  18  Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn’t do it. 19  Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today.  20  And now I realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule. 21  Now swear to me by the Lord that when that happens you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!” 22  So David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went back to their stronghold. David has a choice to flex his muscles and show his own strength. He can kill Saul and be free to return home and become king like God had promised him. But we are not called to do things in our own strength, but to love the Lord with all of our strength. David came close to killing Saul. He crept close enough to do it. But when he got close enough, he only cut off a corner of his cloak. Even that much aggression toward Saul brought such remorse on David because he had done that to God’s anointed king. You see David knew that he was going to be king. God had promised it. And a person of faith trusts God at his promises. But to make it happen in his own strength was the wrong way. To kill Saul in cold-blooded murder was to become like Saul. David could see clearly where that road led. As David would take those steps to gain power, he would always be looking over his shoulder as well. And it wouldn’t be love that compelled him to kill Saul but fear and the desire for power. That is not the way to love the Lord with all your strength. Instead, because David loved God with all of his strength, he showed grace to Saul. When you love God with all your strength, he enables you to have the strength to love other people the way he does. And what is the result of this kind of strength? Conviction on Saul. He sees clearly in the moment and understands God’s grace and love. There is no bloodshed or conflict. No one loses their lives and God is glorified. You see, real strength is one that enables us to love, forgive and show grace especially when you are wronged. Love is the greatest force in the universe. And when love flexes its muscles, it doesn’t destroy but builds up. It doesn’t kill, but brings life. It doesn’t divide but heals. That is why Jesus says in Matthew 5;38-48 38  “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ [o]   39  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.  40  If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.  41  If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, [p]  carry it two miles.  42  Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. 43  “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ [q]  and hate your enemy. 44  But I say, love your enemies! [r]  Pray for those who persecute you!  45  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  46  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  47  If you are kind only to your friends, [s]  how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  48  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Love God with all your strength. And that strength may look like weakness to the rest of the world, but gives space so love can conquer all. That is true strength and it awesome and transforming. That makes you true hero. Let’s pray.

Isolation and solitude have always intrigued humanity. Whether it was reading books like Robinson Crusoe or Swiss Family Robinson or watching a movie like “Castaway.” Some of you may have noticed this volleyball in my office. It was a gift from Lynette Cline the last time I grew a big beard. She told me I looked like Tom Hanks in “Castaway” so she made me my own “Wilson.” If you have seen the movie then you know that Tom Hanks turned a volleyball into a friend as he was starving for companionship on the island all alone. We always wonder what it would be like if we were stuck in a place of solitude. How would we survive as we watch shows like “survivorman.” Would we go crazy or lose our mind without the structure of society? Some of you are so hungry for solitude that being a castaway sounds like the most perfect thing possible. Others of you, have spent too many days at home snowed-in by yourself and have been starving for human interaction. But solitude is an essential part of our daily life. Just like anything, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach it. Remember that from our very beginning, God has said, “It is not good for man to be alone. (Genesis 2:18a)” We have talked before about the fact that being made in the image of God means that we are made for community as God is three persons and yet one so we are not made to be alone, but in community. And yet, God also made introverted people who get their energy from space and solitude and get utterly drained in a crowd. We have started off this New Year talking about the proper daily approach to life that we might experience the fullest Christian life. Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly. Unfortunately, many of us are not experiencing that full life, but struggle with frustration, exhaustion and burnout. Certain seasons and circumstances attribute to that, though often our issue is that our approach to daily life is off and imbalanced. And so we are taking the time during this season to look at a better way to approach life so that we do not miss out on the best and most essential things that God wants us to have in our daily lives. We have looked at rest with God’s design as he created Sabbath rest, constant prayer through the life of Enoch, work through the example of Moses, and worship through David’s patterns. Today our focus is on solitude and there is no better place to begin than looking to Jesus. It always astounds me what is included in the Gospels. Four books of the Bible summarizing what we need to know about Jesus’ earthly life and three years of ministry in 89 chapters. If your life was summarized in 89 chapters and what was recorded was essential for future generations to survive, what would they write about you? Jesus’ pattern as recorded in the Gospels include several instances of solitude. The first one we are going to look at is found in three of the four Gospels. Matthew 4 records Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism. This isn’t something that he decided to do on a whim, but was led there by the Holy Spirit as recorded in Luke 4 (this solitude in the wilderness is also included in the book of Mark). And why is he led by the Holy Spirit to the desert? To be tempted by the devil, of course! You may be saying, “Wait a second, Pastor Nate. You just said the focus of this sermon series is on the fullness of a daily Christian walk and the first example you give of solitude is Jesus being led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil? What gives?” Well, first of all, what is happening with Jesus is unique. Jesus is God in human flesh: the perfect, sinless human that this world hasn’t seen since Adam and Eve. And the devil is taking his shot at Jesus just like he did with Adam and Eve. But instead of being in a Garden full of every kind of food, Jesus says, “Not only will I take on the worst temptations you can throw my way, but I’ll do it in the desert while I am fasting. I came to deliver humanity and I am going to do it as completely as possible.” So there is a lot of uniqueness to Jesus’ 40 days in the desert. But I do want to say that there are times that the Holy Spirit leads us into periods of solitude that include temptation. Remember that temptation is not sin. Choosing to give into temptation is. Jesus is tempted and is without sin. We are often tempted in our solitary moments because we do not have the same accountability that we do around other people. And temptation most assuredly comes when we are alone, tired, exhausted, weary and lacking something in our lives. But it is so important to know that God allows temptation for a reason. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 states, “ 12  If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.  13  The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” So temptation has the function of quality control in our lives. It exposes our weaknesses and builds our strengths. Everyone faces temptation, maybe in different ways, but to the same level of challenge. But God never tempts us in ways where we cannot overcome. God’s goal for temptation is this: “ 3  We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  4  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5 Why did Jesus need to be tempted and why are we? Because resisting temptation refines us by forcing us to rely on God to overcome and become who He has designed us to be. Another example of solitude Jesus exhibited is found in Mark 1:35-39, “ 35  Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.  36  Later Simon and the others went out to find him. 37  When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38  But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.”  39  So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.” In this passage Jesus goes off to an isolated place to pray to simply escape the expectations and pressure of the crowd. Notice he does this before sunrise and in such a way that his disciples have to search for him in order to discover him. There is nothing wrong with having moments of solitude. If Jesus needed it, so do we. Being able to focus on prayer is difficult. I think modern conveniences like cell phones make it all the more difficult. Because most of the time you can be reached at any time and people expect you to be available. I don’t think Jesus would have any problem leaving the cell phone at home. Part of prayer is the desire and need to be completely and totally available to God. Being married for over 20 years, I know the value of giving someone your full attention. I have committed or admitted to multiple things or even missed things entirely by not giving a conversation my full attention. And those that love us the most won’t settle for less than our total attention. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount said this about prayer, “ 6  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you (Matthew 6:6).” Having just watched the inauguration, there were several prayers incorporated in the ceremony. But there was a big difference between the way Franklin Graham prayed and the way the other priests and pastors prayed. The other religious leaders were caught up in the moment and were either giving speeches faintly disguised as prayers or were communicating theirs prayers in such a manner as to try and be memorable. I sensed in Franklin Graham a reverence for the almighty God to whom he was speaking and yet an intimacy as one who knows the one to whom he was speaking. This does not mean that there are not times to pray publicly. But God desires our full attention. God desires an intimate, real relationship with us, undistracted, so we can listen and know where he desires us to go and what he calls us to be. That is the result of this passage. The disciples find Jesus and say, “Hey, let’s get back to town. Everyone is looking for you. There is more to do.” And Jesus says, “Nope, God is calling us elsewhere.” When you are in the midst of ministry and even just life, you cannot always clearly see the next step without solitude and prayer. The third situation of solitude that we see from Jesus is in Matthew 14. Jesus receives the news that his cousin, John the Baptist has been beheaded, and he is grieving. Like most of us, Jesus wants to get away and process that grief with a few of the disciples that he is close to. But while he is trying to get away from the crowds to a remote place for some solitude, the people find him! And even in the midst of his grief, he has compassion on them and ministers to them while touching and healing their bodies. In that same day, he fed 5,000 people with five small loaves and two fish. That is where we pick up. “ 22  Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home.  23  After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.” (Matthew 14:22-23) Are you seeing the pattern yet? Yes, there are times of necessary solitude in our lives and in the life of Jesus. The key is that in our times of solitude, we are never alone. What does that mean? Our solitude needs to be a break from other people for a moment or season, but not for us to be alone by ourselves. It is so we can get away with God. Big difference. Psalm 139 makes is clear that there is no place on earth you can escape from God’s presence. In this passage, Jesus is grieving his cousin’s death like any of us would. It is a terrible situation. But Jesus’ solitude in his grief pulls him closer to God through prayer. And that same night, Jesus returns to his disciples walking on water. This period of solitude, even in grief, is not overextended. Nor did it make Jesus exempt for loving and caring for the needs of others. Remember, it is not good for us to be alone. And so we must remember, that we are never alone. In contrast, when prayer is not a major component of our times of solitude we are more susceptible to temptation and greater frustration and despair as the solitude in itself cannot feed us or repair our soul. It is the one in whom we find our solace in during our periods of solitude. So in conclusion, find daily pockets of solitude. Not in an eastern mysticism based on Buddhism says you must meditate and empty your mind to find inner peace as you seek to become part of the great nothing. That type of solitude puts down your defenses and leads you to being open to other destructive and demonic forces. As Christians, your times of solitude are meant to fill us up with the transforming love and presence of God. It is not becoming a part of the great nothing, but connecting with the great everything! It is good for man to be in solitude, but only when we share these times with Jesus. Let’s pray.

We have started this year looking at the essentials of our daily lives as Christians. Very often we have found ourselves tired, worn out, depressed and even burned out in our pattern of daily life. This stems from an improper balance and a goal of rest somewhere in the undefined future. Instead, I propose to you a new approach to life: making the most for the best and most essential things daily. This would be: Rest, work, worship, prayer, play, and quality community time. Anytime, we give too much time to any one of these categories, we rob from another essential daily activity. And so you may say things like, “I don’t have time to rest,” or “I don’t have time to play.” You may be right, and occasionally our work or life demands we give more to one activity rather than another for a short time. But unless we regain the proper balance we will end up off kilter again. Today, I want to talk about a daily time to worship. Humanity was made to worship. This is even evident in pagan societies where idols are made to become the focus of this natural compulsion. I have even seen this instinct lived out by those that do not believe in God who will sing, dance, raise their hands and celebrate at a music concert. We are made to worship. So, what is worship? Worship is an expression of gratitude to God through song, word, motion, music or movement. Even Eric Liddle, the famous Olympian who became a missionary, saw running as an act of worship. As Liddle says in the movie Chariots of Fire, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” In worship, we recognize who God is, what he has done and what he will do. True worship is not just conveying our feelings or experiences about something. That can be component, but the focus of worship is always on the person or character of God. So where in the Bible do we see people making time to worship in the midst of their chaotic lives? And how did that worship help them in the midst of what they were facing? I want to begin with someone in the Bible that could be considered an expert in worship. King David wrote 73 Psalms in the Bible and who knows how many more. This is the same King David who was a shepherd as a youth, a warrior as a young man, a refugee, a rebel, as well as a king. When we are introduced to David in 1 Samuel 16, he is simply a shepherd boy in the tribe of Judah who God has anointed as the next king. But by the end of the chapter we see much more. 1 Samuel 16:14-18,23 14  Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit [ b ]  that filled him with depression and fear. 15  Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you.  16  Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.” 17  “All right,” Saul said. “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him here.” 18  One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him.” 23  And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away. First, I want you note how important worship is in our lives as we can see what life looks like without worship in King Saul. Two years ago we studied 1 Samuel heavily so I won’t go too deep into understanding Saul, but put simply: Saul’s life is all about himself and his accomplishments. He is constantly chasing fame and approval. He is completely insecure which leads to him being driven by fear and then ultimately paranoia. His life choices have led him to being tormented because of his unwillingness to recognize God and give him control. Saul’s life is a warning to us if we neglect daily worship in our lives. When we wrongly refuse to give to God the worship that rightly belongs to him and try to refocus it on ourselves, we can end up like Saul. But the focus of this message is not on those that neglected worship in their daily lives, but those that maintain it. David’s worship through playing his harp has become well known in spite of his day job as a shepherd. We often picture David playing his harp while tending sheep which is never stated that way in Scripture. But knowing what we do about what it takes to be a dedicated, good shepherd, it is likely that David did take the time to worship on his harp daily even in the fields tending sheep. This attitude of worship is reflected in the heart of a young man who trusted in God when everyone is afraid of Goliath. There is real life change in the midst of worship. Just being in proximity to David worshiping calms to oppressive spirit in Saul. When do we worship? Sundays of course. Sometimes we listen to worship music in the car as we travel to and from work. But do we daily make space to worship? Many times, we don’t want to worship because we are overwhelmed with difficulties we are facing. What we see in Scripture is that David wrote and worshiped through the Psalms through some very crazy and troublesome times. Out of the 73 Psalms that David wrote in Scripture we have many of them described as: 1) written as David fled Absalom, 2) he sang this song on the day that God delivered him from all of his enemies including Saul, 3) when he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech king of the Philistines, 4) when Nathan the prophet came to him after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, 5) when David was betrayed to Saul by the Ziphites, 6) when David was hiding from Saul in a cave…And the descriptions go on and on. David didn’t reserve his worship to God when things were good or he was near the Ark free to worship. He was worshiping God at all times. Many times letting the worship express what he was thinking and feeling while his reflection on God and his character elevated him above his circumstance and situation by giving God the glory. Let me show you what I mean. I just made reference to Psalm 34 where David has pretended to be insane as he fled from Saul to his enemy the Philistines. In the midst of degrading himself in order to protect his life, this Psalm and its truths is what helped guide David through: Psalm34:1-10 I will praise the Lord at all times.     I will constantly speak his praises. 2  I will boast only in the Lord;     let all who are helpless take heart. 3  Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;     let us exalt his name together. 4  I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.     He freed me from all my fears. 5  Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;     no shadow of shame will darken their faces. 6  In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;     he saved me from all my troubles. 7  For the angel of the Lord is a guard;     he surrounds and defends all who fear him. 8  Taste and see that the Lord is good.     Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! 9  Fear the Lord, you his godly people,     for those who fear him will have all they need. 10  Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,     but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. How might our lives be different if we included worship daily? Worship is sprinkled throughout Scripture. Exodus 15 records the worship song the people of Israel sang after God had defeated the Egyptians at the Red Sea. Luke 1 records Mary the mother of Jesus’ song when she reflects on God’s promises and plans. We should worship during good times where it is clear that God is working and has brought deliverance into our lives but also in the difficult times. But does God really care about music and worship and song? How important is it to him? Well Deuteronomy 31 records a critical moment in Israel’s history. The people have crossed the desert after 40 years and God is not allowing Moses to go into the Promised Land. The mantle of leadership is now being passed to Joshua. And so what does God do at this critical juncture? He writes a song and commands the people learn it, memorize it and sing it regularly. 19  “So write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel. Help them learn it, so it may serve as a witness for me against them.  20  For I will bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey. There they will become prosperous, eat all the food they want, and become fat. But they will begin to worship other gods; they will despise me and break my covenant.  21  And when great disasters come down on them, this song will stand as evidence against them, for it will never be forgotten by their descendants. I know the intentions of these people, even now before they have entered the land I swore to give them.” 22  So that very day Moses wrote down the words of the song and taught it to the Israelites. It’s amazing to consider that God wrote a song and then taught it to Moses. But it had a purpose. It was to remind the people of who God was when they would eventually rebel and turn on Him. He didn’t want them blaming them when they suffered the consequences of their rebellion. He wanted them to know that He knew this was part of their nature and yet he still blessed them and loved them. He knows us, even in our sin, and yet remains a gracious, patient and loving God. You see worship reminds us of who God and who we are. The best worship teaches us truths about God’s character so we learn as we delight in our Father God. And we are not the only ones that get to delight in worshp. Zephaniah 3:17 says that God himself delights in singing over us as well. For The Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness.With his love, he will calm all your fears. [b] He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” I want to give you one more example this morning of the transformative power of daily worship. Acts 16 tells us about Paul and Silas on a missionary journey. They are beaten with whips, put in shackles and thrown into prison for healing a demon possessed girl in the city of Philippi. Seems like a pretty tragic and failed trip. Could things get any worse? What is their reaction to this harmful treatment? Acts 16:25-34 25  Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.  26  Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27  The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.  28  But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” 29  The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.  30  Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”  32  And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.  33  Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.  34  He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God. Worship elevated the perspective of Paul and Silas in the prison that fateful night. In spite of their physical pain and suffering, they did not neglect their daily worship. Instead of being crushed by their treatment, they recognized that nothing could separate them from the presence of God and so they worshiped right there in chains. An added result of their worship were those in the prison that surrounded them listened. Why? Because no one worshiped in prison! Not with that attitude of, could it be, joy and thanksgiving? Another result of their worship was a supernatural movement that released their chains and opened the prison doors through an earthquake. We know this is supernatural because maybe an earthquake could loosen doors, but not shackles. These men were now free to leave their chains and their cells. But they don’t. Why? Because they had just discovered something in that jail more valuable than their personal freedom. The presence of God experienced through worship. The jailer himself, is so moved by God’s presence that he chooses to follow Jesus as well as the rest of his family. That prison worship service in Philippi started a church that Paul later wrote to in the book of Philippians. Just like our rest and our work, we also have the need, desire and mandate for daily worship. If you are neglecting this part of your daily life, you are sorely missing out on the proper perspective of life, a special intimacy in God’s presence, and the opportunity for God to move in power in your life and the life of others around you. Today, I want to offer to you listening the same opportunity that was afforded the jailer that night. Will you believe in Jesus today? Will you take the time to sing to him daily and allow the truth of his love to transform how you live daily? As we have seen this morning from these heroes of the faith that rough circumstances and situations will happen. We live in a lost and fallen world. But we can rise above whatever may come if worship is part of our daily process. It is a fact as real as gravity or the Laws of Thermodynamics. Worship brings transformative change daily if we make space for it in our lives. Let’s pray and then worship Jesus.

Moses can be such a larger than life individual. I mean, he was born and rescued from the Nile River. He grew up in Pharaoh’s palace. He killed a man trying to deliver God’s people at 40. Failed miserably. Fled to the desert, married, and worked as a shepherd for the next 40 years. At 80, God called him back to Egypt to deliver his people. He boldly delivered God’s messages to Pharaoh and was God’s vehicle for bringing judgment on Egypt through the ten plagues. He saw God face to face as he received the Law on Mt. Sinai. And then proceeded to bring God’s people to the Promised Land for another 40 years in the desert. When I think about Moses, I can’t help but put him on a pedestal like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Billy Graham. The problem with this is we know these individual’s stories and their accomplishments not realizing or remembering that they had to go through a process to become the great men they were. What is even worse is when we begin to compare our lives and accomplishments to theirs not recognizing that their lives were rare and exclusive callings designed by God. But today, I want to look at a passage of Scripture where Moses was corrected because his daily pattern and form of leadership was detrimental. Moses almost burned out right at the beginning of is time in leadership. So what we can learn from Moses’ mistakes to be the men and women that God designed us to be? Exodus 18:1-3, 5-12 Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He heard especially about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt. 2  Earlier, Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons back to Jethro, who had taken them in…  5  Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, now came to visit Moses in the wilderness. He brought Moses’ wife and two sons with him, and they arrived while Moses and the people were camped near the mountain of God.  6  Jethro had sent a message to Moses, saying, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to see you with your wife and your two sons.” 7  So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. He bowed low and kissed him. They asked about each other’s welfare and then went into Moses’ tent.  8  Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and Egypt on behalf of Israel. He also told about all the hardships they had experienced along the way and how the Lord had rescued his people from all their troubles.  9  Jethro was delighted when he heard about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel as he rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10  “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt!  11  I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.” 12  Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came out and joined him in a sacrificial meal in God’s presence. So we get introduced to Moses’ extended family: Jethro his father-in-law. He has heard about what God has done with his son-in-law and wants to go see him. Huge things! Things that have never been done before! Slaves freed supernaturally from the greatest nation in the world. Unheard of! Jethro wants to hear the stories for himself. Now, Jethro is no slouch. His role in life is a priest in Midian. So he understands leadership and responsibility. A couple things that I want you to notice about the character of Moses here: 1. The accomplishments have not gone to his head. He still honors and reveres his father in law by bowing low before him and kissing him. 2. He shares of his accomplishments and struggles. He is transparent with one that he honors and respects. So often the danger is to share only of our accomplishments and hide our failures. Now, it is hard to be completely transparent with everyone. Moses knows he can trust his father in law with this information. 3. This allowed Jethro to share in Moses’ joy. Instead of immediate correction or instruction to Moses’ challenges, Jethro praises God and encourages Moses. A good teacher or life instructor will do that for you and will celebrate with you as God gets the glory for the things he does in us. 4. This type of accountability and community can lead to greater fellowship and an experience in God’s presence. As they worship and sacrifice to God together with the elders. I think most of us can agree that we want mentors in our business, life, and ministry. Accountability can be difficult, but it does lead to greater growth. Every athlete needs a coach to get better and peers/teammates to challenge them. This is true in all spheres of life as well. Exodus 18:13-16 13  The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening. 14  When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?” 15  Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God.  16  When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.” The benefit of having mentors in our lives is that they can evaluate what we are doing with a critical eye from a perspective we don’t have. It is only natural that Moses would step into leadership as God had called him to lead his people out of slavery. The problem was he was leading in too many different areas. And the nature of most people is that if someone else is willing to do the hard jobs, they won’t volunteer to help. Jethro sees clearly that Moses is taking on too much. And so Jethro asks him the best question: What are you really accomplishing here? It’s a great question. Moses is meeting a few people’s needs. But the needs are greater than his time or availability. So it as almost as if he is trying to dig a pit with a teaspoon when in reality he is digging his own grave. Have you been there before? You are working your tail off and feeling like you are getting nowhere. The reality is, you may be going nowhere! Sometimes we need good mentors in our lives to tell us that. The next question Jethro asks is just as important: why are you trying to do all this alone? Why do any of us take on huge challenges by ourselves? Why would Moses carry all this responsibility unnecessarily? “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God.” 1. I am chasing expectations. Whether the people have said this or not, Moses feels this way. It is an honor for other people to see the value of your advice and council and seek it out. But chasing other’s expectation is always detrimental to our physical and emotional health. Why? Because people don’t understand what it is to be you. They don’t understand how you handle stress or the other responsibilities you carry besides the one they desire from you. They don’t have your health concerns or sleep patterns. That is not a good enough response. 2. God speaks to me. Those of us who are in leadership, especially spiritual leadership, often think that God can only use us uniquely. Yes, God has a special relationship with us, but to assume that others have to come to Jesus through us is a dangerous assumption. This is what is often called a “messiah complex.” There is only one savior of the world, and we ain’t him. 3. It can be an issue of pride if we aren’t careful. We all want to feel important and needed. But that feeling can be just as addictive as cocaine. I have seen it and experienced it. Pastors are very susceptible to this as we are often more insecure than most. To feel needed and important has caused many a pastor to become an isolated lone ranger on a collision course for burnout. If you lead that way, you are hurting yourself and a poor example to those entrusted to you. Parents, husbands, wives, business workers, teachers, this is true of all of us. 4. Sometimes we fall into responsibility because we feel there is no one else. It isn’t pride, arrogance, or control. It is simply a belief that there is no one else that can do what we can do. We are fully aware of the burnout and the failure to meet everyone’s needs, but who else is there. I have been here before too. Part of this comes from having a certain standard or way of doing things and other people don’t do it our way or as effectively (we believe). We become burned out islands because we think we are truly an island. Exodus 18:17-23 17  “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed.  18  “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.  19  Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. 20  Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives.  21  But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.  22  They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you.  23  If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.” I love the truth flowing out of Jethro in this passage. Those who are mentors to others, take note. Jethro is not starstruck with the amazing things God has done through his son in law. He has given God the glory for that because he knows his son-in-law. He couldn’t do all that on his own! Jethro speaks to the truth to Moses no matter how hard the message because the best leaders are teachable. Let’s look at the insights he shares: 1. You are going to wear yourself out. Maybe it is too many superhero movies, but we all believe we can handle more than we can. And sometimes we can sustain a crazy work schedule or extra responsibility more than most. But God did not make us with a never-ending battery. A better pattern is a daily one that equally fills you as you pour yourself out. 2. You are going to wear out the people too. Most of us don’t acknowledge this fact. A crazy standard for work burns out those around us. As a shepherd of God’s people, I have had seasons (some of you can attest to) that I was driving the sheep of the church rather than leading. I had a goal and I wanted to get us there fast. What happens when a shepherd drives his sheep? He loses some who can’t keep up and causes others to be sick or die from lack of rest. Your lack of balance in your work life and personal expectations is adversely affecting your friends and family. Just pause and consider: do you have time for them? And when you do, is it quality? Are you truly available and engaged? Are you irritable and angry more often than naught? 3. Do what God calls you to do. Jethro doesn’t challenge Moses to quit what he is doing. Much of what he is doing is his calling. 1) Keep representing the people before God. 2) Keep hearing the disputes. 3) Keep clarifying for them what God’s word says. 4) Show them how to conduct their lives…but don’t do it alone. So often when we are burned out we want to make a drastic change. Occasionally we need to if we are so far off of center. But many times, it is simple limiting what you do to what God expects from you and not what you assume others expect of you. 4. Share the responsibility with capable, honest God-fearing leaders. Are there men and women like that? Yes. Sometimes it takes some searching based on where you find yourself, but it is worth the exercise to discover them around you. I didn’t add men who hate bribes, but given the role these men would fill that was truly important. Justice cannot be self-serving. Would Moses be able to find someone who would judge exactly like he would? No. But he could find capable, honest and God-fearing individuals. Those are the requirements God seeks for those called to leadership. 5. Create a structure. When we are taking on too much in life, we are usually rushing to put out fires rather than coming up with a plan or approach. Taking the time to not only find key leaders, but also creating a structure is more work on the front end, but creates something lasting out of your life into someomthing much more effective. How do you get better about your spending? You create the structure of a budget and you stick to it. How do you get healthy? You develop a plan of daily diet and exercise and you follow it. The same is true for work. Create a team. Develop a structure and follow it. For the passage, Jethro suggested a tier system for dealing with people’s issues. That way, each leader handled a similar amount of work without being overwhelmed. Moses still helped, but only deals with the most critical issues. 6. Develop new leaders. One of the greatest legacies you can leave is other leaders to carry on your work. The people would have been lost once they reached the Promised Land without Moses if he hadn’t developed strong leaders like Joshua and Caleb. Not only will you live a longer and more fulfilled life if you follow Jethro’s plan, but you will be changing people beyond your life if you do. Exodus 18:24-27 24  Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions.  25  He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.  26  These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves. 27  Soon after this, Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law, who returned to his own land. Moses did what was recommended to him. This may be the hardest thing to do. We forget that Moses is now in his 80s. He could say, “I am old enough that may way is the best way. No one can teach me anything. This old dog doesn’t want to learn any new tricks.” But he was humble and teachable enough to listen and took the time to implement what was recommended to him. You are never too old to learn. Everyone needs mentors and peers who will look at our lives with fresh eyes and help us in what God is calling us to do. And look at the end result. What was accomplished? -The people’s needs were met - Moses was more rested and fulfilled in his work. - He didn’t work alone but surrounded himself with godly men. - He developed a pattern that lasted beyond his life and created a legacy. - God was praised and glorified. For those of you who feel like Moses today: worn and burned out…this can be your legacy too. What your feeling does not mean doom and gloom for your life and calling. In fact, it is simply a chance to change what you are doing into something more lasting and forever fulfilling for you and others. Are you willing to get help?

If you missed last week I shared with you about a focus for this new year on living the Christian life to the fullest. Burnout emotionally and physically is a reality for so many people. As real as this is, I believe God truly has a better plan for the Christian walk. So much of our issue has to deal with our mindset and what we believe our approach to life should be. Working toward achievement and putting rest and our own health on the back burner doesn’t work and won’t work. And so we need to come to a place where we approach life one day at a time. I believe this is what Jesus was speaking to in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 (25-34) 25  “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?  26  Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?  27  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28  “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,  29  yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  30  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31  “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’  32  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33  Seek the Kingdom of God [ e ]  above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34  “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Taking life one day at a time. Alcoholics Anonymous and other addiction programs follow a similar pattern. Taking on the challenge in front of you one day at time. Small victories lead to bigger victories. These programs work because they are based on Biblical truths and the way that our creator God designed us and the world we live in. So we need to rediscover these truths for ourselves. Last week we looked at the Sabbath and the command to rest. We are created and designed to need rest daily and God has a made a way, by his perfect design, that we work every six days and rest the seventh. If we aren’t resting we are going against God’s design for our life and robbing ourselves of a fuller life that God has planned for us. Today, I want to stay in the book of Genesis and talk about another key component of discovering the full Christian life and that is simply: walking with God. In Genesis three, Adam and Eve (the first man and woman) chose to go against God’s design and disobey thus creating separation from God and allowing sin into the world. Because this happens so early in creation and only in the third chapter of the Bible, we have very little insight into what life with God was like before sin entered in and wrecked everything. But what we do know is that prior to sin, all of creation was perfect and according to design and humanity was everything it was designed to be as well. Right after Adam and Eve sin, Genesis 3:8 says, “ 8  When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man [ a ]  and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.” So we see prior to sin, Adam and Eve would walk with God in the Garden. This tells us of the closeness of the relationship they had with God. He didn’t create them and leave them alone. Nor did he speak to them from a booming voice in the distant clouds. God literally walked with Adam and Eve in close relational proximity. I want you to keep this mind as we look at Enoch two chapters later. Seven generations after Adam, Enoch is born and this is what the Bible has to say about him in Genesis 5:21-24: 21  When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22  After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23  Enoch lived 365 years,  24  walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. This phrase “walking in close fellowship to God” is the same one used in Genesis 3. And the result of this walking is that Enoch didn’t die, but was just taken into glory one day. These four simple verses have perplexed centuries of humanity. Later Elijah is taken into glory by chariots of fire rather than dying and it is possible that Moses was just taken as well. So there is a possibility that three people in human history have entered into eternity without dying. What is it about this “walking” that we are missing? The only other things we are told about Enoch is that he was a father to multiple sons and daughters, was in his sixties when he had a specific son, and walked this earth for 365 years. That isn’t a lot of detail to go by! But maybe that is the point. Maybe we are told about Enoch’s life in four short verses because we are over-thinking God’s design for our lives. Wasn’t this what Jesus was trying to say in the Sermon on the Mount? Don’t waste time worrying, but focus on life one day at a time? And what was the focus of Enoch’s life as he lived it one day at a time? Walking in close fellowship with God. This Hebrew word for walking is “hâlak” and it does mean “to walk.” But it also means “to go along with” someone. And in order to go along with someone you must be “in relationship, agreement and acceptance” with them. So when the Bible says that Enoch ‘walked with God’ it didn’t necessarily mean a wandering of walking physically, but a daily journey with God in obedience and agreement in a love relationship. So when it says that Enoch “walked with God” it meant an ongoing daily journey that never ended. I believe that is the hint we are given even with his lifespan. He died at 365 years and so we all learn in school that there are 365 days in a year. God is giving us a huge hint that this man, Enoch, who never tasted death never paused or stopped this daily walk with God. Walking with God was his life. This is hard to do in a world full of other desires and distractions. But note that Enoch wasn’t some monk in a monastery or a hermit in the woods living by himself. He had a wife and a large family. Within 600 years of his death the whole world would be destroyed by the Flood. The world was a wicked and awful place full of sin during Enoch’s lifespan. In fact, the book of Jude tells us that Enoch was very vocal about sin and speaking the truth in the time period in which he existed. 14  Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones  15  to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 1:14-15) Walking with God does not mean isolation from the wicked world we live in, but being a vocal participant in trying to get others to walk with us as we walked with God. Enoch lived with the reality of an eternal perspective because of his daily, close relationship with God. He saw the world clearly where everyone else struggled to clear their blurry eyes. Hebrews 11 relates the same truths about Enoch: 5  It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” [a]  For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.  6  And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” The phrase ‘pleasing God’ creates the word picture of a child living up to the standard of their parent in behavior and attitude. As children love to please their parents so parents are delighted to bless their children when they listen and obey in love. And so we get this reality that Enoch’s walk with God was a desire for God more than anything else. God was his life. He was his daily and primary pursuit. This is a hard thing to start because we are all born thinking only of ourselves first. I’m tired. I’m hungry. I want. I need. Give me. Give me. Give me. But the greatest key to life given us by Enoch is that God is the answer to all of our desires. A daily pursuit of God is all we need to satisfy our existence. The word for ‘walk’ can also mean “to flow.” I believe this is the stage two of walking with God. When you do something long enough we talk about “going with the flow.” It becomes as natural as water flowing from a height and surrendering to gravity. Walking in relationship with God can become our daily flow. And ultimately the same term ‘walk” can be used to describe death. It is used in Psalm 39:13, “Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.” The word depart in the Hebrew is the same word for walk: halak. So some may see it as death is “walking away from earthly life.” But as we see in Enoch it is quite different his daily ‘walk’ with God was the same daily even after he entered into eternity. 1) So this walking with Jesus is at first a conscious choice to leave your own solitary walk and walk with Jesus letting him lead you as you walk next to him daily. 2) As you do it consistently it becomes a flow as water in a stream. As nature as breathing. 3) And finally, it is a walk from this earthly life into an eternal stepping with God. And isn’t that what eternity in heaven is? A daily abiding with God and knowing him for the rest of our existence? You see Enoch understood there was nothing greater or more valuable than knowing God. He had all the answers. God has all the plans. God has designed our life. Who better to walk through life with? So in closing, let me give you some pointers on how to walk with God daily: 1. Begin your day talking with God. What do I mean by this? Simply, ‘Good morning God. Thank you for giving me another day. Tell me who I am today and show me what I am to do and experience. Show me what my eyes won’t naturally see.’ 2. Search out his voice in ways that he has spoken. This means read the Bible. We call it God’s Word for a reason. Read it in the morning. Think about his Words throughout your day. Read it more than once a day. Read devotionals or listen to sermons that can give you greater insight into God’s Word. The key is perspective. Don’t read it as a distant and dead school book, but as a love letter written with daily messages for you. 3. Continue your discussion with God throughout the day. Prayer doesn’t have to be head down and eyes closed. It can be throughout the day and in the heart and mind. Thank God for the blessings as they happen. Pray for strength in the difficult moments. It is a daily discussion just as if you were on an all day road trip with a good friend. 4. Strive to please Jesus throughout the day. As you grow to know who God is and what he desires, you live in accordance with that. You listen to the loving conviction of the Holy Spirit that points out wrong words or actions that you may take in a given day. He refines your desires to be fulfilled with good things rather than sinful temptations. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 gives us a pattern for what a daily walk with God looks like: 16  Always be joyful.  17  Never stop praying.  18  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Walking with God. That is what we are called to do daily. Period. Enoch’s life has no list of accomplishments, philanthropic work, or athletic prowess. He has four verses that lead to a life of fulfillment that doesn’t end in death. We are over thinking life and missing out on the simplicity of what God desires. As Jesus told his disciples when he called them “follow me.” That is it. Go where God goes. Stay where he stays. Rest when he calls you to rest. The key is spending every waking hour aware and pursuing the loving presence of your heavenly Father. And that is what so many of us are lacking as we desire more out of life.

Jesus birth is really unique. Most people don’t know where they are conceived or the circumstances surrounding it. If you are going to read someone’s biography, their story starts at their birth. And usually not much is written surrounding those circumstances. Most people begin to put value on someone else’s “life story” when they are at an age where they can make a difference to society. But Jesus is unique in that even his birth was of extreme historical significance. Why? Because an infinite, immortal God became human. But Jesus’ conception and birth is not entirely unique for Scripture puts value on one’s conception and birth multiple times. Look at Genesis for example. Isaac’s conception and birth is the major focus of Abraham’s life as God promises an old man with no land, no future, and no legacy that he will make him the father of many nations. And so at the age of 90, Isaac’s mother conceives and gives birth to Isaac: a miraculous birth of an infant and the birth of a nation that would be called God’s people. Then Isaac’s wife Rebekah is unable to conceive until God opens her womb answering their prayers to give her twin sons: Jacob and Esau. Then Jacob’s wife Rachel cannot have children until God opens her womb at the right time to give birth to Joseph: the eleventh of twelve children. Moses was conceived and born at the worst of times. The descendents of Isaac were living as slaves in Egypt and in order to control the population of slaves, the ruler of Egypt declared that any baby boys born to the Hebrew people were to be killed: sacrificed to the god of the Nile River. And Moses’ parents found themselves to be with child. And when he was born they noticed that he was “special” and defied Egypt’s decree and kept their baby boy alive. And that infant survived and became the deliverer of God’s people and the one in whom God gave the instruction in how to live in relationship with Him. A couple hundred years later, another woman found herself barren and unable to have children. The descendents of Jacob have now become the nation of Israel living in the Promised Land. They had become complacent and sinful. Even their religious leaders were falling deeply into sin. And so this barren woman promised to give her son back to God if he would but let her have a child. And God answered her promise and gave Hannah Samuel who would become a great priest and the last Judge of Israel helping to turn the hearts of the people back to God. So often in Scripture we see that a person’s legacy is not measured solely by their impact and accomplishments as an adult, but the hand of God at work even before their birth. You may say, “Well there is nothing exceptional about my birth or the family I was born into.” Some of you have been conceived and born into less than ideal situations: a single parent home, poverty, to abusive or negligent parents and you think, “how was a beginning like that part of God’s plan?” Looking at the start of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Samuel’s life we see a pattern showing up. None of them came in the normal time or ideal circumstances. But each one came in a way that helped to shape the rest of their lives and God’s call and plan for them. I have told you before that my wife and I tried for five years to have Emma, our first child. We went to see doctors and fertility clinics, prayed, cried, and fought with each other over why she wasn’t coming. And then when we finally did get pregnant, we suffered a miscarriage. Those of you who have had miscarriages understand the grief of knowing that a life had begun, but never made it out of the womb before being ushered into the arms of Jesus. Emma was a rainbow baby meaning that she was conceived within the time the first baby would still be growing in Leah’s womb. God taught me that the timing for Emma’s life was on his timetable as she was born on August 8 of 2008 at 8:08 PM. Your timing is perfect too. No matter when or how you were conceived, it is God that opens and shuts the womb. No one is a mistake. And every life is precious and valuable. Two of my children are born naturally to my wife and I while the majority have been adopted. All of my adopted children have had difficult circumstances in which they were conceived and born: some to underage mothers. Others were born to addicts. Some were to homeless parents. Their conception, birth and even their birth parents do not define the worth and value of their life. Each one of them is a miracle arriving in the place and time that God had determined and meticulously planned. Some of them, I knew of their arrival by God’s promises to my wife and I. Others were a complete surprise. And so I, personally, love the fact that Jesus’ story on earth did not begin with his ministry but his conception and birth. Luke 1 tells us that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit to a girl who was still a virgin. This was no natural birth! Completely unexpected and a surprise to his mother as Mary tells the angel who had delivered the news, “But how can this be. I am a virgin?” I can imagine her thinking, “I don’t know a lot about this stuff yet, but I have had this talk with my parents and I know there has to be a man involved in this process.” We have to have this information because Jesus was unique in all of human creation. He was both fully man and fully God. Mary was not asked but told. A drastic change to the entirety of her life’s plans. She could have said to the angel, “No, my body my choice.” But instead her response was, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” What bravery exemplified in the life of this young woman. New life is never an invader or a parasite in a woman’s body, but a gift from God. And no matter how life begins, that life is precious, made with a purpose, and designed in the image of God. Jesus’ birth not only affirms our birth (sometimes to the most unlikely people chosen to be parents). Trust me, I couldn’t understand how some people were allowed to have children when Leah and I struggled to have one. Jesus’ birth also connects with us that were born into less than ideal circumstance. Let’s look at Luke 2:1-7: At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.  2  (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  3  All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.  4  And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.  5  He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. 6  And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.  7  She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. I love Jesus’ birth story because there is no one on this earth that shouldn’t feel valued about the timing of his first breaths and cries. His parents were forced to take a difficult trip as she is ripe to give birth and forced to have her baby away from the comforts of home, family and friends and deliver in an unsanitary barn. God is now found in the body of a baby and most, not realizing the gravity of the moment, would either feel sorry for his parents or automatically think, “That kid ain’t going to amount to nothing. He was born in a barn!” How wrong they would be! What about the baby born to hundred year old parents? Or the parents who had to keep their baby alive in secret so he wouldn’t be killed? Or the mother who promised to give her son up for adoption to the priesthood if she could only have a son? Oh, pity those parents and that child. No! Praise God for those situations! Jesus came for everyone and proved by his own birth that every life has value. If you are new to our church, let me inform you that we are very much a pro- life church. We are for life from conception to the grave for we believe all life has eternal value. We value the life of the unborn, mothers, fathers, children, youth, grandparents, the elderly, native, foreign, every race, creed, and color. All life has equal value in the eyes of God and is made in his image. We do not judge or belittle anyone based on what the world measures them on. Jesus came as that infant baby so the whole world could know and experience his love and spend an eternity with Him. Isn’t that what John 3:16 relates? “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. This Gospel truth is the same for everyone no matter their social status, wealth, power, position, or pedigree. I believe Philippians 2:3-11 shows us most clearly the character of our God and the attitude that we should have to one another. 3  Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  4  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6  Though he was God, [ a ]     he did not think of equality with God     as something to cling to. 7  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges [ b ] ;     he took the humble position of a slave [c]     and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [ d ] 8      he humbled himself in obedience to God     and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9  Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor     and gave him the name above all other names, 10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,     in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,     to the glory of God the Father. Jesus could have come as a king, a conqueror, rich, powerful, famous, beautiful and in the most perfect way by the world’s standards. Instead, he came in the way that is true to his character and most clearly reveals his love for us. So today, I want you to pause and look at your life. Are you undervaluing it by comparing it to the life and stories of others? Have you considered your entrance into this world or your upbringing as a detriment to what God can do with you rather than seeing it as part of his perfect plan to show the world his love through you? Do you realize today that you weren’t alone in those difficult times or years, but that Jesus was there with you? He loves to make the ordinary extraordinary. He loves to reveal a mess to be a beautiful designed pattern. Bad timing can truly be God’s perfect timing. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says 9  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  10  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Maybe you have considered your conception, birth or upbringing to be a blockage to God’s will in your life. Jesus’ divine entrance into the world says the opposite. Let God get the glory for your life and feel loved in a special way as we celebrate God come to humanity in the body of a young virgin, born in a barn, who would change the entire world for eternity.

I don’t know about you, but when I think about slavery I think of the movies I’ve seen, the books I’ve read, and the things that I have been taught in school about the history of slavery in America. In the origins of our nation, people were captured from their homeland (predominantly in Africa), taken in slaver ships, and forced to work on farms and in fields in what would become the United States. Slavery is an abominable thought for most Americans, because we have been raised to believe that people have certain unalienable rights that should not be stolen or taken from us. And to take those rights from someone else and force them into servitude boils our blood. But slavery is as old as sin. Today, slavery is still a lucrative business. Although it is abolished in every country in the modern world (the last to abolish it was actually a country in Africa, Mauritania, in 1981), slavery is still occurring. In fact, there are more slaves today than at any point in human history. There are still people being forced to work against their will, but the largest growing and most predominant slavery is human trafficking that includes sex trafficking of all ages and genders. Some have challenged the character of God over this topic because part of the Levitical Law in the Bible talks about rules in having slaves. But those forms of slavery are referring to debt bondage, serfdom or bonded labor. When God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, they set up a new nation. And so He had to create a new government different from the one they had to come from in Egypt. And in this new government everyone had land. But in situations where a person lost their land or money either by bad investment, natural causes or wasting it away, they were in need of help. And so a person could become indentured (or enslaved) to another person for a period of time in order to provide food and shelter for themselves or their families. Once the debt was paid, they were released from their slavery and were once again free to work and provide for themselves. God also established the “Year of Jubilee” where every 50 years everybody got his or her land and stuff back. No matter how poor their decisions or bad their luck, it was a reset button so everyone started back with what they had 50 years prior. No more. No less. So why did I take the time to explain all this about slavery? Because the Apostle Paul in the book of Galatians used slavery as a living metaphor to explain Jesus’ birth and reason for coming into this world. Galatians 4:1-7 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2  They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.  3  And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. 4  But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.  5  God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.  6  And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  7  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Now most of us shudder to think of ourselves as slaves or as not being free. But Paul puts our condition as gently as he can for he compares us to children who are due an inheritance from our father. But that inheritance is a future hope because our current state is that we are children who have not matured to an age where we can receive that inheritance. And so until we are old enough and mature enough to handle that inheritance, we are forced to obey the guardians who are entrusted to our care until we reach that age. I really like this illustration because it shows the relational aspect of our condition. When we think about being born into sin, we can often think about a stiff life of doing good and avoiding bad to get free from the consequence of sin like in a legal sense. But that is not what is really going on. Yes, we are born into sin in a fallen state separated from the God who loved us enough to create us. But life is a process of maturity where the Ten Commandments and other Laws are not meant to hinder our freedom or growth, but guide us into sharing the character of our heavenly Father so that we can receive the inheritance waiting for us. But the problem with living under the law before Christ was that none of us could keep the law. Our sinful nature was too strong. Our rebellious hearts would sabotage our progress and so we were incapable of maturing to the point of receiving our inheritance. So what did Jesus do? He became a slave like us. A child under the law to live out and fulfill that law and also pay the penalty of our sin. Why? So we could be free! So we could be adopted by God the Father. So we could finally receive the inheritance we were always intended to have. Now we live a different life. We are no longer in bondage separated from God, but we are now adopted into his family. If we have any need or are lacking strength, we call out “abba, Father” and the Holy Spirit empowers us to live in victory and true freedom in the new life. Now, let’s talk a little bit about freedom. Because in our culture we often define freedom as license to do anything we want. That is not entirely true. For although Jesus died and rose again to give us the freedom to choose. Some choices put us back into slavery that is harmful. There are always rules and truths for life. The freedom that Jesus was enslaved for and died and rose to give us was not to make us our own “gods”, but to make us “God’s.” In fact, Paul once again uses slavery as an illustration to relate the truth that our freedom is always in a structure where something or someone else is in control of us. Romans 6:15-23 15  Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!  16  Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.  17  Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.  18  Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 19  Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. 20  When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.  21  And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.  22  But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.  23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. “You become a slave of whatever you choose to obey.” That is a huge statement in verse 16! For freedom is not license to live however you want without rules or boundaries. The reality is we either live by God’s design or the only other choice is to live according to the sinful nature. We are not autonomous and our own masters…ever! That is what the Christian life and maturity is about. Let me illustrate this example further, just one more time. Because this is not a theoretical metaphor, but one lived out in the reality of Israel’s history. Remember how Abraham was promised the land of Israel (that is why it is called “the Promised Land”). This was the “inheritance” of his descendents. But 400 years later they have grown into a large family and are slaves in Egypt: separated from their inheritance. But in the midst of this period of time, God sent a child, Moses, to deliver his people. Moses tried with his own strength and failed at the age of 40. But at the age of 80, by God’s guidance, brought deliverance to God’s people through the ten plagues. Even though they were free from the Egyptian bondage, the people were not free now to go and do whatever they wanted. They had been rescued by God and were to follow Him. Where did he take them? Mt. Sinai. The location where God gave them the Law and Instruction for what it meant to be in relationship with him: no longer slaves to sin but now slaves to righteousness. The goal of the law was not the land, personal freedom or autonomy. It was so God could live and dwell in their midst and the people could learn to live in such a way to reflect the character of the God who loved them enough to adopt them as his children. But the Old Testament is full of examples where the Israelites lost sight of why they were free. They stopped living by God’s law and design. And found themselves back in slavery time and again. Many times it was emotional bondage to possession, and other times it was physical chains. The law was hard to live up to because they could acknowledge it with their head, but their hearts just wanted to rebel. Now when Jesus came and delivered us from the slavery of our sin, he freed our hearts from the spiritual chains of sin so we now have a new nature that desires to follow Jesus not out of obligation but love and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do so. So as we reflect on the infant Jesus this morning I want you to think of him as God being born to slaves as a slave to free us from our slavery. And just to make sure we get this point, where did Jesus spend some of his childhood when Herod wanted to have him killed? That’s right: Egypt, the place of Gods’ people’s bondage. So today, I want you to realize that you live in freedom. Your debt has been paid. You have been adopted by God and your inheritance awaits. But as part of his household you live by his standards and rules. This should not be a heavy weight in the life of a believer, but should be a passionate pursuit to become everything we have been designed to be.

When I was a kid I remember watching the movie Amadeus with my family. If you don’t know, the movie is about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is one of the greatest composers of all time. He was a child prodigy composing a symphony by the age of eight. And an opera by the age of eleven. In the movie, they portray him as a wild, reckless teenager that just oozed talent while still enjoying life. But he had a contemporary, Antonio Salieri, that was jealous of Mozart’s talent. And so he devised a plan to cause Mozart to basically work himself to death. In the movie, it showed Mozart intentionally sleeping only a few hours a day (in reality, he only slept 5 to 6 hours a day) and working nonstop on all of these musical arrangements to get himself out of debt. Of course Hollywood rarely gets the facts right although it is said that Mozart did practice 7 to 8 hours a day and died at the age of 35. But what stuck out to me about the whole movie as a child was how a person could work themselves to death. I determined that would not be me because I saw how much Mozart missed out on because he was driven by his work and lack of sleep. Easier said than done, right? Most of us don’t get the balance of work and rest right. As kids, we probably err on rest over work, but as we become adults, we succumb to the demands of the job or the desires to own and live comfortably, but don’t take the time to enjoy the comforts we have attained. This morning I want to make an argument for rest. Over the first weeks here in 2025, I want to preach a topical series on the balanced Christian life. I believe most of us live imbalanced, which leaves us susceptible to wrong attitudes, burn out, temptation, and missing out on the best things in life that God has for us daily. The first argument for rest is given us by example. In the second chapter of the first book of the Bible (Genesis), God has just created everything we can see and know in a matter of six days. This is no small feat. In fact, it is such an amazing thing that humanity keeps trying to extend this process of creation over millions of years, but the reality is that Genesis 1 measures each day by a 24-hour period. So God quite literally created all life and the universe in 144 hours. But he does something amazing in Genesis 2:1-3 1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.  2  On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested [ a ]  from all his work.  3  And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. Is this proof that God gets tired? Not in the least! For Isaiah 40:28 states, “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary.” So why did he take a day to rest if he wasn’t tired? For multiple reasons: God was creating our work week, seven days, that still is in existence to this day. So every week we remember how many days God created the universe and all life and have a day to rest and reflect. Because we need the rest. Nearly a third of our every day is spent sleeping. But that is not enough rest. He wanted to ensure that we take a full day to rest every week by his design. He made the day holy which means “set apart.” It isn’t supposed to be like any other day. And if God can rest from his labor for a full day, the one who holds everything together, we have no excuse. This is not just something God established at creation and changed his feelings over time. What God makes holy, he does not make unholy. In fact, he ensures that the Sabbath (which means “day of rest”) was always observed. When the people of Israel were rescued by God from slavery in Egypt after 400 years, they were all messed up. They didn’t understand rest properly like us. How doe we know this? When God called Moses to deliver his people from the hand of Egypt, he didn’t start off right away with the plagues. In fact, it all began with a simple request. Moses and his brother Aaron talked with Pharaoh and asked that they be allowed to take the people out into the desert to worship God. They asked for a three-day journey, which round trip probably would take a week or so. What does Pharaoh say to a week of vacation for his unpaid slaves? 4  Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!  5  Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.” 6  That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen:  7  “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves!  8  But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’ 9  Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!” (Genesis 5:4-9) Why would Pharaoh not want to give the people time off to worship God? If the people are loaded down with their work, they don’t have time to think for themselves. And if you can’t think for yourselves than you are more easily controlled and manipulated. Pharaoh didn’t want the people to believe they had any rights or freedoms. He wanted them to ignore their faith and the God who chose their forefathers and made promises to them. He wanted them to only think of making bricks. Is our enemy any different today? Are you so busy about your work and duties that your faith, time with Jesus, and even your personal rest is constantly being sacrificed? It doesn’t have to be hard physical labor that is stealing the very life from you. It could be busyness with good things that have caused your life to become imbalanced. This is the culture and the mentality that the people of Israel are coming from when God delivered them from Egypt. They were a people that weren’t allowed to have a thought to themselves and so now that they were free physically, God had to take the time to free them mentally and show them what a free life is to look like. And so at Mt. Sinai, he gives them the Law. The instruction and truth as to understanding what is right and wrong. Not based on the pagan gods of Egypt but the very character of the one true God. And the core of that law is discovered in what we call the Ten Commandments. These are the most key fundamental truths that all the other laws and governance for this new nation of Israel was built upon. And wouldn’t you know it, but right there smack dab in the middle of these Ten Commandments, at #4, is a command about the Sabbath day of rest that God made at creation. I am sure they weren’t allowed to follow it in Egypt even if they did remember it, but God is making sure they understand how essential it is to the life of every human being. In fact, there is more elaboration on this one commandment than any of the other nine. Exodus 20:8-11 states, “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  9  You have six days each week for your ordinary work,  10  but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.  11  For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” Now hearing this as a command often makes us want to be militant about keeping it for fear of breaking the Law. And that is where the religious leaders were during Jesus’ day. They got on Jesus’ disciples for picking heads of grain and eating it while they were walking because they considered that “work.” They started to plan to have Jesus killed after he healed people on the Sabbath multiple times because that was “work” as well. Jesus told these Pharisees in Mark 2:27-28, “ 27  Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.  28  So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” Jesus was telling them, “You are missing the point! Your life is too structured and you need to rest. Stop stealing the joy out of a day that I made holy by being militant about it.” And so we observe Jesus visiting the Temple and the synagogue on the day of rest. We see him going to people’s homes and enjoying fellowship with them on the day of rest. And we see him healing people on the day of rest. We see him walking the countryside and enjoying creation. So rest doesn’t mean you have to stay in bed all day and cook bacon in a George Foreman next to your bed. The Sabbath means a day holy and set apart to delight in God and to reflect upon and enjoy the fruits of your labors. It is a day where it is okay to so, “no” to the things you normally feel mandated to say ‘yes’ to and “yes” to the things you normally would say ‘no’ to. What does a day of rest do for us? - It gives our bodies a break. No matter your job, career or lifestyle, the body needs to rest to heal and grow. Even athletes need days of rest or their bodies break down. - It keeps us from temptation. When the body and mind are worn out, we get desperate to fill our desires of fulfillment that we have neglected. Most temptations are quick fixes that don’t last and leave us with regret. Consistent rest gives us those key desires that God has provided an answer for if we take the time to receive it. - It gives us a heart of appreciation and gratitude. Because it slows down our work driven focus, we take the time to look around and appreciate our accomplishments and be thankful for what we have and our relationships. - It gives us a proper mentality. Remember the Jewish day begins at sundown rather than sunrise. So God designed humanity to work out of rest and not work toward rest. A day of rest frees us from how the modern world thinks where everyone is driven to accomplish now as quickly as possible, but the mountain of accomplishment never shrinks. Our culture naturally pushes back rest and reflection until the job is done. But the job is never done. That is how Pharaoh created slaves. Be free from that. Allow God to create a new mentality in you that works from rest and not to rest. - It gives us a clear day to delight in our creator God. When we work, we get distracted and time is not our own. But a day without a to-do list gives us the freedom to make time for the most important person in our life: Jesus. This can mean time in worship at church, lunch with fellow believers, a nap in the afternoon, quality time with your kids or spouse. At sundown, do what you need to for the workweek, but create the space to just be thankful in God’s presence. Let me end this message with a clear message I think most of us need to hear. It is not wrong to rest and enjoy life. In fact, we are breaking God’s law when we do not take the time to do it weekly! God sets the standard for our daily and weekly patterns, not our work or our culture. The weariness and heaviness you have been feeling can change when you start obeying God and his weekly pattern for your life. If it helps, all of our earthly accomplishments will mean nothing in the scope and scale of eternity. But what will matter is the time we have spent in God’s presence and with other people. Are you obeying the call to rest? How can you make your Sabbath day set apart like God commands? Do it! And see the change in your life.

One of my all time favorite songs is Tears for Fear’s “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” I think it is a near perfect song. The way it is sung and composed. The way it builds and flows is amazing! It hits every nostalgia button for me and I can’t help but smile when I hear it. It is one of those songs that barely made it to the album. It was the last song, written and recorded in two weeks. But the band members have shared that the song is about, “the desire that humanity has for control and power.” While expressing the futility of the desire with lyrics like, “so glad we’ve almost made it” and “all for freedom and for pleasure nothing ever lasts forever.” Now the truth is that not everyone wants to be dictator and rule the world. But if we are honest with ourselves, everyone wants to rule “their world.” We want to be in control over our personal kingdom even when it seems like the walls are falling down and we are building castles in the sand. Why is this? Why do we seek to be in control of a tragic kingdom doomed to end? The truth is that, apart from Jesus, this is how the world works. Just like the Verve’s song, “Bittersweet Symphony” that says, “trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to money then you die.” Or Smashing Pumpkins song “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” that relates, “despite all my rage I’m still just a rat in a cage. Someone would say what is lost can never be saved.” So if death wins and this life is it, then living for the moment and grasping as much money, power and fame is the only satisfaction in our short lives. But the advent season is a yearly reminder that this is not our doomed existence. Our lives are not over when our bodies give out and we breathe our last. We are eternal beings who are going to live in eternity in one of two places: heaven (eternally with God) or hell (eternally separated from God). Advent season reminds us that there is only one that can rule the world and that is the God that created it. Jesus coming to earth as an infant was the start of his rescue mission to save the world from the consequence of our sin. The King of the universe was about to establish his rule and reign in his creation for all of eternity. And his death and resurrection gives us a choice as to where we will spend our eternal destiny. We don’t have to waste our lives building a kingdom that will not last beyond our earthly lives. By choosing to follow Jesus, we become part of his kingdom, sons and daughters of God and heirs to his eternal destiny. Today, we are going to look at the futility of trying to rule the world and how God’s kingdom is built different as we look at the life of King Herod. Let’s set the scene from Matthew 2:1-18 1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men [ a ]  from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,  2  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, [ b ]  and we have come to worship him.” 3  King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.  4  He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6  ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities [c]  of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ [d] ” 7  Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.  8  Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9  After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  10  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  11  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12  When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. 13  After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14  That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15  and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” [e] 16  Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.  17  Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18  “A cry was heard in Ramah— weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.” [f] Let’s start off by looking at Herod purely from this Scriptural narrative. Later we will go into what we know about him historically to get a fuller perspective. At face value, most of us could understand Herod’s concern. Rome has made him “King of Judea.” Hearing the news of any other possible threat to his kingdom, even a baby, would put up your guard. What makes it even more strange is to have this news delivered from foreign wise men who said they received the news by a new star rising in the night sky. It seems that Herod knows this isn’t just some scheme of man, but something greater because he goes to his personal “wise men” (the leading priests and teachers of the law) and asks them “where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” Everyone knew from the Old Testament prophets that a king would come up to rule Israel from the line of David as God has promised. Given how this news has been delivered to him, Herod has surmised that this is the “baby usurper” may be that prophesied king. Outwardly, he comes across as favorable to this news as he asks the wise men to return to him once they have found the baby so he can worship him too. But inwardly, he has no desire to worship this infant king. Instead, his desire is to protect his own rule and reign at whatever the price. When he realizes that the wise men were onto him, the only way to ensure that this infant Messiah is dead is to kill every baby boy in the city of Bethlehem. He even gave his soldiers an age range, two and under, based on when the star appeared. And so, we see Herod killing babies, his own people that are part of his kingdom, in a desperate attempt to make his feeble kingdom last a little longer. It takes the extreme joy of Jesus’ birth into the extreme reality of the lost world that Jesus came to save. A world where babies are massacred for momentary power and position. What Luke 2 doesn’t state about Herod’s life we gather from Josephus and other historians. Herod the Great was raised as a Jew even though his father was and Edomite. His father, Antipater, was a friend of emperor Julius Caesar. That is how Herod first got his positions of power. His first charge was over Galilee, later, Herod was appointed “King of Jews” by the Roman senate after some political maneuvering. As ruler in Judea, he expanded the Temple mount and the Temple. The western wall is the part of his construction still standing today. He also built the harbor at Caesarea Maritima, and the fortresses Masada, Herodium, Alexandrium. Hyrcania, and Macherus. Why did he build these fortresses? In case of insurrection to protect him and his family. To rule in Judea was tenuous at best. In order to protect his rule and reign, he had three of his sons killed, some wives and many others. Herod lived in constant fear of losing the power and control he had worked so hard to gain. His great buildings and expansions were a way of being remembered and seeking to gain the favor of others while doing terrible things to maintain power. He made a show of faith in God, but his morality and compromises show that his true “god” was himself. Herod died in Jericho of an extremely painful disease later titled, “Herod’s evil.” Josephus tells us that the pain was so bad that he attempted to end his own life. And to ensure that people mourned his death, he ordered that several great and notable men be killed at the same time that he died so no one could tell apart who was grieving for whom. They did not carry out that order. Herod is a vibrant example to all of us of the dangers of not accepting Jesus as king. You can convince others that you are a follower of Jesus and desire to worship him, while inwardly all you care about is your own earthly kingdom. But that kingdom is fleeting and frail. And in order to gain and keep that kind of kingdom, a person must compromise their morals and values. In order to maintain his kingdom, Herod killed some of his own family and the most innocent of lives as his fear ran rampant. In contrast, the kingdom of the little child born in Bethlehem was not gained through conquering and compromise, but by surrendering to the will of God and standing on the truth no matter the consequences. And nothing can stop the purposes and plan of God. For God caused that star to appear that called the wise men to visit the newborn king. It was the wise men’s gifts that funded the flight to Egypt that very night and enabled Mary and Joseph to live as refugees in Egypt until Herod died. Herod schemed to kill Jesus, but God knows even the thoughts of men but warned Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, in a dream to flee to Egypt and even led him to living in Nazareth after their return for the dangers of Herod’s son in Judea. The purposes and plans of God cannot be thwarted and his kingdom never ends. Everybody may want to rule the world, but that role belongs solely to Jesus. The question before us today is will we continue to build snow forts melting when the temperature rises a few degrees or will we surrender to the one who holds all our days in his hands and let him build something lasting in us. To be part of his kingdom is the exact opposite of how earthly kingdoms are built. It is self giving rather than selfish. It is through giving rather than taking. It is through honesty rather than scheming. It is through humility rather than pride. It is through complete self giving love rather then a pure selfishness that leads to our death and the deaths of those who follow us.